Means of charging solid material into a confined zone



Sept. 25, 1934. l c. H. ANGELI.v 1,974,789 MEANS FOR CHRGING SOLIDMATERIAL INTO A CONFINED ZONE 4 Filed sept. 2Q. 195o www Patented Sept.25, 1934 PATENT oFFIcE MEANS F CHARGING SOLID MATERIAL A CONFINED ZONEY' charles n. Angell, chicago, nl., assignor to Universal Oil ProductsCompany, Chicago, Ill., a o,

corporation of South Dakota i Applicationseptemberzo, 1930, Serial No.483,308

3 Claims. (Cl. 214-18) This invention relates to a means of chargingsolid, semi-'solid or like materia1^to a confined zone which may. bemaintainedL at atmospheric, sub-atmospheric orfsuperatmosphericpressure.

One of the difficulties encountered. in the commercial application'ofthe many recently developed processes, in which solid or semi-solidmaterials are themselves treated or utilized to assist in the treatmentof other materials, has been the problem of continuously orintermittently supplying such materialor mixtures thereof to the zone oftreatment without interrupting or interfering with the continuousoperation of the process. It is the primary object of the presentinvention to provide a simple and reliable means for this purpose. Asexamples of processes wherein my improvements find useful application, Imay'mention those lin which coal, coke, peat, lignite, pitches, tars ormixtures of these alone or with oils or other liquids are treated.

Primarily'the invention comprises an apparatus for introducing a solidor semi-solid material, or

mixtures containing such materials, from an external zone into aconfined zone by introducing it rst into an intermediate zone andintermittently isolating said intermediate zone from said external zone,during which isolation period the material is introduced from saidintermediate ,n

zone into said conned zone.

It willbe understood that many modified forms of apparatus incorporatingthe broad principles of the invention may be devised. One specificembodiment ofthe apparatus, employing reciprocating pistons to move thematerial, is shown diagrammatically in the attached single drawing tomore clearly illustrate the principles of the invention, although theinvention is not limited to this or any other specific form ofapparatus.

Referring to the drawing, the following description of which'willembrace both the apparatus. and its mode of operation, the solid orsemi-solid material which may be, for example, coal, petroleum coke,gilsonite, fullers earth, diatomaceous earth, adsorbent clays, catalyticmaterials, metal particles, or any other solid or semi-solid material ormixtures containing the same, is fed into hop-- per 1 by any suitablemeans, not illustrated, such asa belt or bucket conveyor or similardevice. Hopper 1 is in direct communication through port 2 with cylinder3, which in turn is conn'cted at one end through wall 4 with a zone. oftreatment 5 which may be at substantially the same pressure but may beat an increased or decreased pressure relative to that in hopper 1.Pistons 6 and 7, 6 being dened as the front piston and 7 the rearpiston, are mounted upon a reciprocating shaft 8 which may be driven byany suitable means (not shown) such as, for example, a steam engine suchas used on reciprocating pumps or an electric motor actuating the shaftthrough a crank and connecting rod or rack and pinion. `With rod 8 atthe extremity of its backward stroke, at which point the space betweenpistons 6 and 7 is directly opposite port 2, material may be dischargedfrom hopper 1 into the space betweeny` the pistons and as the pistonsmove forward, upon` the forward stroke of shaft 8, shield 9, which isattached in this case to piston 7 and moves with the pistons and shaft,closes port 2 preventing further discharge of material from hopper 1into 711 cylinder 3. The material between pistons 6 and 7 may be carriedforwardly by the forward movement of shaft' 8 and as piston 6 over-ridesthe endof cylinder 3 into zone 5 the material con- ,ned between thepistons is discharged into this zone. As piston 6 recedes from zone 5,upon the backward stroke of rod 8 after the material has been dischargedfrom-between the pistons, it is guided to assist its entrance intocylinder 3 by the are l0 at the end of said cylinder which in- 80 suresthe-proper compression of piston rings 11 as they enter the cylinder.

It will be understood that any form of piston' rings or piston packingmay be used to maintain a tight seal between the pistons and the walls485 of cylinder 3, and it will also be obvious that the walls of cylinder3 may be lubricated in any well known manner, not illustrated in thedrawing.

It is evident that the pressure in the space between pistons 6 and 'Iwill be equalized with that in zone 5 as the material is discharged intothis zone and that substantially this same pressure will be maintainedin the space between the pistons as they recede into cylinder 3. Forthis reason vent 12, in cylinder 3, may be provided so that the pressurein the A space between pistons 6 and 'i may be equalized with that incylinder 3 and in hopper 1, both of which, in this casefare open to theatmosphere, upon stroke of piston 7 as it passes vent 12.

It will be understood that substantially atmospheric pressure or anypressure above or below atmospheric may be maintained upon `zone 5 withsubstantially atmospheric pressure or any 105 pressure above or belowatmospheric upon hopper 1. Normally, there will be a differentialpressure between hopper 1, from which the materialis supplied, and zone5, to which the material' is supplied although they may be at the same,110

the 'backward 100 pressure, in which latter case the device illustratedfunctions as a means of conveying the material from one zone to theother without permitting contaminationv in the treating zone by theoutside atmosphere.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a treating chamber, a

feeding hopper, a cylinder communicating saidv hopper with the chamber,frontward and rear-A ward pistons slidably mounted within said cylinderand a shield carried by the rearward piston.

2. I'n combination with a treating chamber,

CHARLES H. ANGELL.

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